3D printing news Sliced, European Space Agency, Optomec, and Carbon

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In this edition of our 3D printing news digest – Sliced, we see the latest trends in the 3D printing industry, such as the development of non-Earth materials, increasing variety of UV resins, and a 3D printed wedding. Read on to learn more about Xometry, CRP USA, European Space Agency, and more.

At the International LENS User Group meeting, the metal 3D printing expert Optomec discussed its LENS metal 3D printing technology. The meeting was held in Austin, Texas and was attended by 13 companies who own Optomec’s LENS system.

Tom Cobbs, LENS Product Manager at Optomec, said, “We discussed future collaborations and were happy to receive much user feedback to help Optomec roadmap the next generation of LENS printheads and systems, furthering the development of this exciting AM technology.”

The Metal X 3D printer from Markforged. Photo via Markforged

Bringing 3D printers to service

The Maryland-based on-demand 3D printing service, Xometry, now offers HP’s Multi Jet Fusion (MJF). The MJF technology can now be used in conjunction with Xometry’s Instant Quotation Engine. On the latest acquisition, Randy Altschuler, CEO of Xometry, commented, “We’re thrilled to add HP Multi Jet Fusion technology to Xometry’s capabilities […] Our additive customers have been asking us for it due to its reputation for speed and quality.”

Quadpack, a UK-based package supplier for beauty brands, has acquired a Stratasys J750. Quadpack hopes that by integrating a 3D printer in its manufacturing chain it will reduce lead times and make providing custom packaging solution to its customers efficient.

Carbon, a California-based 3D printer and materials manufacturer, has appointed a First Chief Marketing Officer. Dara Treseder will be the first person to occupy this newly established role at Carbon. Previously, Treseder worked at GE as Chief Marketing Officer for GE Ventures and GE Business Innovations.

Carbon which is known for its CLIP technology has recently extended its reach, especially in the dental industry. Carbon’s co-founder and CEO, Dr. Joseph DeSimone, said, “Dara joins us at a critical time in Carbon’s journey, as we push the boundaries of technology and execute our strategy to create a new standard for digital manufacturing across the globe.”

Carbon’s CLIP 3D printing technology. Photo via Carbon.

Performing with 3D printing

At the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) trade show taking place in Indiana Convention Center, Indianapolis (December 6-8), CRP USA will be at booth 413, Green Hall. CRP US is a 3D printing materials and service provider known for its proprietary SLS materials Windform. The company is partnered with the Italian additive manufacturing company CRP group and is especially active in the performance racing sector.

Off-world 3D printing materials

European Space Agency (ESA), and Metalysis, a solid-state metal and AM metals specialist has announced a Grand Challenge competition to be held in Paris, France on 10 December.

Hosted at Station F, a French start-up incubator, the challenge is worth €500,000. It invites start-ups to find ways of making metal using off-world materials. Interested parties can participate in the event by submitting this form.

In other news, researchers are attempting to improve water testing for bacteria using 3D printed microscopes. This project was initiated in 2015 and led to the foundation of WaterScope, an NGO working to make clean water widely available. The goal of the charity is to help make clean water more accessible.

And it is hoped that the 3D printed microscopes will make water testing easier and more reliable. Dr Alexander Patto, the CEO of WaterScope, said “What we’re trying to do is make it very, very simple, so that anybody can do a test, regardless of their skillset [and] resources available, and still get a result that is scientifically robust.” A trial of 3D printed microscope water-testing was conducted in a refugee camp in Tanzania. Further trials of the 3D printed microscope are planned in the future.

An artist’s impression of Cubesats in orbit of the earth. Photo via ESA/Medialab.

3D printing a wedding

A 3D printing hobbyist, Erin Winick, 3D printed bits of her wedding. Being true to the maker tradition, instead of buying things for the wedding Winick 3D printing them. She 3D printed tulip flower bouquets for herself and bridesmaids, the cake topper, and flower girl’s necklace. Winick either designed these things herself or modified the 3D models available on the open source 3D file sharing community Thingiverse.

Photocentric, a Peterborough-based 3D printer and materials manufacturer, has released a new line of UV LCD resins. The latest resins are released in three varieties Firm, Hard, and Flexible. All these resins are for use with backlit 3D printers. In addition to the resins, Photocentric has also launched the Photocentric Resin Cleaner, a cleaning solution for post-processing 3D printed resin parts.